MA Contemporary Curating at Manchester Metropolitan University

Programme overview

MA Contemporary Curating is a dynamic programme for students who wish to develop the essential practical and critical thinking skills that are needed for contemporary curatorial practice. This course combines the study of diverse fields of knowledge; it focusses on curating as a field that offers a thinking model of how to make connections between different subjects by exploring existing relational models and curatorial alternatives, while encouraging you to build the professional network and practical expertise needed to thrive in today’s creative industries. Combining critical thinking with hands-on practice, the course explores contemporary curatorial practice through exhibition-making, visual culture, design cultures and the evolving relationships between artists, institutions, curators and audiences.

What you will study

MA Contemporary Curating is a practice-led masters that explores how exhibitions, events, publications and cultural interventions shape contemporary culture. Designed for graduates who want to develop a professional curatorial practice, the course combines critical theory, research and hands-on experience to help you understand the cultural, social and institutional contexts in which contemporary curating operates. Modules core: Major Project, Practice 1: Curating Spaces, Practice 2: Curatorial Process, Professional Practices; options: Culture and Context (Expanding Fields and Exploring Practices), Art and Design: Culture and Context (MA:X).

Career pathways

The programme would be of interest to those planning to pursue a career in the museum and gallery sector, as well as those interested in related cultural work, such as arts administration, publishing and events organisation. Our graduates have gone on to work at a wide range of institutions and others have gone on to related cultural work in arts administration and events organisation.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

You will normally have an undergraduate UK honours degree, or international equivalent or equivalent UK qualification from an arts or humanities background in a subject that includes some coverage of art history, fine art, or cultural studies at honours degree standard. Alternatively, if your undergraduate degree is not arts or humanities-based you should be able to adequately demonstrate its pertinence or articulate its relevance in your personal statement and how it informs your aspiration to study masters programme in the field of curating. Overseas applicants will require IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 with no less than 5.5 in any category, or an equivalent accepted English qualification. Accepted English qualifications can be viewed here. IELTS 6.5 overall.

Intake: September 2027

Duration: 1 year full-time

Apply through the official page: https://www.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/course/ma-contemporary-curating#how-to-apply

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